XL] FAILURE OF HEALTH. 391 



in doing so. Many of his pupils thus became sincerely 

 attached to him. His breakfast parties, and the delightful 

 excursions with him into the country for the purpose of 

 taking barometrical and other observations, wall ever be 

 remembered by me and many others with the greatest 

 pleasure ; on these occasions he was the joyous spirit of 

 the } tarty, and he not only instilled a real love of nature, 

 but he was instrumental in forming and cementing many 

 sincere and lasting friendships among his pupils. His 

 interest in old pupils was a striking feature in his cha- 

 racter. I never met him without his inquiring about 

 some one respecting whom he thought I could give him 

 information. Although ever anxious to encourage the 

 love of natural philosophy for its own sake, he was fully 

 alive to the great importance of sound theoretical know- 

 ledge as the basis of the education of the civil engineer, 

 and he showed his high appreciation of that profession 

 by choosing it for his son. It gives me great pleasure 

 to note down these few remarks in affectionate remem- 

 ice of my dear master/ 



Professor Balfour Stewart, who, besides being a pupil, 

 was for several sessions assistant-lecturer to Professor 

 Forbes, thus gives his recollections : 



* PENDYFFRTN, NEAR CONWAY, May th. 

 1 . . . I believe it was during the session 1845-6 that 

 i'-d Forbes' lectures as a student. Two things 

 k me : first was the gentleness of his manner, united 

 h something that carried authority, so that he was 

 not only perl < tlv obeyed by his class, but also venerated 

 ami lieluvrd. Had he been a general, I conceive he 

 would have been worshipped and lrloved by his men. 

 Til-- IP xt tiling that struck me was the noonday clear- 

 ness with which IK- explained everything, especially 

 iring explanation. The truth was conveyed 

 n in tip Ottible words. He was more 



Fl than any man 1 ! <t with in diHuMii^ litfht. 



i \\\> own mind he was not cont< 



